


Freezing/Home

by Healy



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Amnesiac Stan Pines, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-09-01 12:46:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16765450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Healy/pseuds/Healy
Summary: Trapped in a blizzard, Stan thinks about home.





	Freezing/Home

Stan shuddered as the snow fell, covering him and every other feature of this godforsaken landscape. How the hell did he get here, anyway? It seemed like only a moment ago he was trying out some new get-rich scheme so he could get back in his family's good graces. Fuck, was he gonna die out here? *Shit, shit*. He couldn't die now, before he impressed his father again, before he made good with Ford. He tightened himself into a ball and wept gasping, choking sobs.

Then, a hand came down upon his forehead. "Stanley? Are you alright?"

Stan could hardly believe it; his heart raced. "S-sixer? Is that really you?"

Ford wrapped his brother in a hug. "Oh, _Stanley_." He patted Stan's back. "Shh, shh, it's all right. I'm here, Stan. I'm not going away."

"What happened?"

"Do you remember how you got here?" asked Ford.

Stan thought back, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember how he had gotten into this predicament, or why Ford was here. "Last thing I remember was rolling some dice at Jerry's, down by Second Street."

"Alright," said Ford. "That's... better than I expected." His voice betrayed his anxiety. "Do you think you can get up? On your own?"

Stan did so, although it felt harder than it should have been. Something about his body was... off. More painful, for one. "Hey, do you know what happened?"

"I have some ideas, yes," Ford replied, letting Stan rest on his shoulder. "Here, let's get you home. I'll explain it on the way."

_Home_. Nothing in Stan's life ever sounded so sweet. He closed his eyes as Ford led him back, thinking of good memories with his twin.

* * *

“So the current theory is, something about those lights we encountered triggered some psychic residue left behind by the memory gun, causing you to forget the past few decades of your life,” said Ford calmly. They had gotten back to the boat, and were resting in the booth, with a pot of coffee between them and blankets piled around Stan.

“I see,” said Stan. He stared at the memory-book Mabel had made for him when the kids left for home. It was open to a page with a photo of him, Dipper, and Soos, in which they were trying to explain… something to him. It would come back, sooner or later. Most of the rest already had. “Is that something your nerdy science friend can help you out with?” he asked.

“I’m sure Fiddleford could help design some protective eyewear for you, if we ever investigate those lights again,” Ford replied. He stared down at his mug of coffee, then took a sip. “Frankly, though, I’d rather call it a miss at this point.”

Stan huffed out a laugh. “What, the great Stanford Pines is giving up on some sciencey thing?”

“ _I almost **lost you** , dammit!_” Ford slammed his mug down on the table. Coffee sloshed out of it, staining the table. Stan stared as his brother put his head down on the table, visibly shaken.

All throughout his life, Stan had been used to being treated like the dumb twin, a friend Ford had put up with because nobody else wanted to be around him. But more and more, he had slowly realized that if Ford had kept him around, maybe it was because he actually _wanted_ him around. It wasn’t such a bad realization, really.

“Hey.” Stan put a hand on Ford’s shoulder. “It’s all right, okay? I’m here, and you know I’m not going away.”

Ford looked up, slowly. “You could have _died_ out there, Stanley.”

“But I didn’t, okay? You saved me.” When that didn’t work, Stan tried a different tactic. “Look, why don’t we give the kids a call? Bet they’d get a kick out of the adventure we had today.”

Ford let out a small laugh. “What, about you almost dying alone and confused in the cold?”

Stan elbowed his brother, giving him a wink. “Ah, but you see? That’s not how you’re gonna tell it to them. Just add in a few more monsters, and voila!”

Ford smiled, for the first time since they went out today. “Are you suggesting this just to boast about your tall tales?”

“Heh, maybe,” Stan answered. “We could watch a movie with them, too, if you want.”

“Alright,” Ford replied. “I suppose their parents won’t be too angry at us if they stay up late.” He drained the rest of his coffee and slapped Stan on the shoulder. “Come, now! The laptop awaits!”

Stan laughed, and gave his brother a punch on the arm, and called him a nerd. He had to admit, it was good to be home.


End file.
